water heater hoses

splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
Well, I bought 15' of radiator hose to change out the hoses to the water heater from the engine. I have some type of loop in the hose, maybe as a vacuum breaker? Does anyone else have this or think it is necessary?
 

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Jan 22, 2008
1,669
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Someone bought too much hose and didn't want to cut it. Mine is as direct as you can get with no loops.
 
Nov 6, 2006
10,116
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Water Heater Hose

Same here no loops, is run directly.. The red hose is the air conditioner pump discharge heading to the unit in the same settee as the heater.
 

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PGIJon

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Mar 3, 2012
856
Hunter 34 Punta Gorda
Splax, let us know the condition of the hoses after you remove them.... Thanks.. Jon
 

splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
Well, I changed the hoses today. 15' was plenty of hose. I wish I had known earlier about the access hole in the stringer forward of the galley through hull. That would have helped me route the hose around that corner. I had the old and new hoses joined by a few inches of 5/8" OD PEX tubing with duct tape holding them together, and the tape didn't hold where I had gotten the new hose damp. They came apart and I taped a messenger line to the joint on the second try with the other hose. I was able to pull hose through using the messenger line, so both are now connected and system tight.
One old hose was deteriorated and was being rubbed through, so this is a preventative maintenance item to do every few years, depending on how much you run the engine.
I used radiator hose, but would recommend a heavier duty hose or wire wound hose to prevent kinks and hose collapse. The wire wound hose I removed had degraded, was being worn through in a spot, and was possibly leaking a little.
 

PGIJon

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Mar 3, 2012
856
Hunter 34 Punta Gorda
Thanks for the update! Did you burp your lines... As you may have seen I have had and engine cooling issue after I replace my hoses.

The picture show the deteriorated condition of the hoses under that stringer prior to replacing them. I also removed all that standing water/yuk at the same time. -Jon
 

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splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
Jon,
How did you remove the sludge/liquid in the stringer?
 

PGIJon

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Mar 3, 2012
856
Hunter 34 Punta Gorda
I made a small access hole with a drill circular saw in the stringer. I was able to shove the small nozzle from the wet/dry vac hose into it and then with the cut out, I repaired the hole with the cutout, fiberglass and epoxy. -Jon
 
Sep 4, 2007
776
Hunter 33.5 Elbow, Saskatchwen, Can.
Did you pull from the engine end or the heater end? Did you have a helper pushing as you pulled?
Thanks
 

splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
Don,
I was alone and pushed a bit on one end, then pulled until tight on the other. I started the first try from the water heater end and pulled from the engine end. I then tried the second time from the engine end and pulled from the water heater end. The 3rd try using the messenger line was from the water heater to the engine.
Someone to help would have been good, but since space is so limited and the run so short, help is not really that beneficial. Using the access hole in the stringer would be a big help negotiating that double turn, and I don't believe I would have had any issues if I had done that. Patience is definitely key. The hoses should pass easily except for the turns where they will bind against each other. I did have a time getting the hoses to be the right length to reduce kinking. The right amount of slack is a thing, since too much will cause the radiator hose to collapse and bend in a turn. Next time a better grade of hose is in order.
 
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splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
Jon,
Today I ran the engine and both water heater hoses were warm, but the water never got hot. The water was flowing from the engine through the heater, water was flowing from the fixtures after going through the heater, but the water never warmed. What do you think?
 

PGIJon

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Mar 3, 2012
856
Hunter 34 Punta Gorda
Splax... Did you check your coolant level after it cooled down? I am having the similar issue. I'm 99.9% certain that as I pulled the new hose.. and this was marine grade... that I must have torn a hole in it somewhere. This morning I connected a short piece of hose between the engine's coolant intake and outtake. This works will allow
you to run the engine until the you find the problem. Tomorrow I'm going to try and locate the hose with the leak by closing one end and attaching a balloon to the other and see if it deflates..... Let me know the status of your coolant level. The admiral thought that maybe we can pull a larger diameter hose or something else through and then feed the hose inside the other in order to protect it. Then remove the outer protection hose. -Jon
 

splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
My first thought was that there was somehow an air lock in the heat exchanger part of the hot water heater. I am not really sure of the construction and thought you might know the trick to making it work. I will continue to search for a solution and post it.
 
Feb 11, 2006
141
Hunter 34 Galveston,Texas
You said you ran the engine.But you did not say how long.It has got to get hot.Very hot.So hot you don't want to open the cap on the heat exchanger.Do you have a guage hooked to the engine?
 

splax

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Nov 12, 2012
694
Hunter 34 Portsmouth
Jon,
I could feel the flow in to and out of the water heater. Both hoses were warm. I only ran the engine for ten minutes, but I expect water would have warmed some by that time. I was not looking for hot water, but to see if the heater was operating correctly.
I had filled the reservoir with some put into the overflow tank, before running the engine. I know some had spilled, but was sure it wouldn't make the reservoir too low. I will try running the engine again.
I refer to the pumps on the boat as fresh water coolant, raw water, and potable water, respectively.
 

PGIJon

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Mar 3, 2012
856
Hunter 34 Punta Gorda
Splax... Do not run the engine just in idle...... Rev it up to about 1200-1500 for a while. I just replaced my hoses again.. long story... I'm going to put it in the other thread. I just let mine run for about 20 minutes at 1200. I'm now waiting to see if the coolant level in the engine has gone down. -Jon